San Marcos dentist has sweet Halloween offer

Dentists across the county this week are offering children the chance to swap their extra Halloween candy for money, and perhaps save a cavity or two in the process.

And a San Marcos dentist has found a way to sweeten the deal, so to speak.

Dr. Nirav Shah of Dreamscape Dental on North Twin Oaks Valley Road, said he’ll not only pay cash for candy, he’ll also enter all participants in a drawing for a new iMac, iPad and iPod.

Shah, who has probed teeth in San Marcos for almost a decade, said the promotion could boost business a little. But that’s not his motivation, he maintained.

“It’s mostly to help with promoting health. I don’t really anticipate generating much business out of it,” the dentist added, seated in his office where plastic skeletons and cardboard werewolves decorate the walls.

Shah is one of more than 1,000 dentists nationwide participating in Operation Gratitude’s Halloween Candy Buy-Back, which sends candy, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other items to troops serving overseas.

Dozens of local dentists are participating, using cash or coupons in exchange for the sweets. To find one nearby, enter your zip code at the nonprofit group’s website,

In what has become a Halloween tradition, Willes Orthodontics of Carlsbad is offering cash for candy for the 14th year. The office, at 740 Oak Ave., Suite A, is collecting candy between 4 and 6 p.m. Friday and donating it to Brother Benos, a soup kitchen in Oceanside.

Shah said he’s collecting candy from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday at his San Marcos office. The dentist said he will pay a dollar a pound for unwanted Jolly Ranchers, Jujyfruits and Tootsie Rolls, and any other unopened candies, with a maximum of 5 pounds per child. His office is at 467 N. Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos.

While his promotional flier makes candy sound like it should be locked up — “Sweets do not just damage teeth, they damage children … sometimes irreparably” — Shah said in an interview that sugary treats aren’t that bad in moderation, as long as you brush regularly.

Still, dental experts say there are some candies that are worse for teeth, particularly sticky candies that stay on teeth and can be corrosive.